Rival
by KaNaKiRa7325
Summary: Over 100 years have passed since Flonne the fallen angel returned with Laharl to the Netherworld. Things for the ex-Angel Trainee and the Overlord have never been better. Will these 100 years be enough for their feelings to blossom?MORE SUMMARY INSIDE,FxL
1. Hostilities

**Summary**: Over 100 years have passed since Flonne the fallen angel returned with Laharl to the Netherworld. Things for the ex-Angel Trainee and the Overlord have never been better. Will these 100 years be enough for their feelings to blossom? What will happen if someone comes along and gets in between them? Will things go back to the way it was before or will it get completely changed? And this someone… what exactly is he planning?

A/N: I like Disgaea… I played it in my DS and I got really addicted. So, brimming with desire to write, I decided to make a story. To those who like the Laharl x Flonne pairing… Beware! Hahahaha… lol, but I just really hope you guys like it and your comments shall decide if I will continue this story or not so…. R&R please…. Ooh, btw, this is my 1st fanfic about a game so… umm… read it!

**OpOpOpOpOpOpOpOpOpOpOpOpOpOpOpOpOpOpOpOpOpOpOpOpOpOp**

_Chapter One_**: Hostilities**

The Netherworld, it is the home of the infamous creatures, known in our world as demons! A dark and mysterious place where the principles of justice, peace and most especially _LOVE_ were ignored and the concept of money and cruelty rules all… And the so-called ruler of this dimension is a demon that was feared and envied by other demons. The one who claims the title of the Overlord of the Netherworld! His heart, no darker black and anyone who uses this ex-Prince's name in vain shall die a horrid death!! That demon is no other than—!!

"_PPRRrrriiiIIInnnCCCceeeee!!!!!!"_

… A pint sized brat named ; **Laharl**!!

Laharl's crimson red eyes opened. He slowly got up from his coffin and turned to the voice calling him…

"WHO DARES AWAKEN THE OVERLO—!!"

_*WHACK! BANG! BANG!*_

"OVERLORD, MY ASS! If you're really the Overlord, you do all this paperwork!!" a red haired girl said, carrying a lot of stacked papers.

"Ugh! That hurt!"

"Grrr… GET UP, you LAZY BUM!!"

"WHAT?! How dare you call ME a bum!?!"

Before Laharl and Etna could take out their weapons, the doors of the Prince's quarters opened, revealing a blonde ex-angel formerly known as an angel trainee-slash-assassin. She now goes by the name Flonne, the Fallen Angel!

"Etna-san… Laharl… What's all the ruckus about?" Flonne said, a little tired than usual.

"What's the matter with you?" Etna asked.

"N, Nothing… It's just that I've been really tired lately… I don't really know myself why I am though…" Flonne said, after which she sighed heavily.

Laharl and Etna looked at each other. Etna grinned at Laharl which made Laharl twitch and so far it went right back to the way it was before Flonne entered.

"Hey, Flonne! Help me get this brat to his office!" Etna said, dragging Laharl by his scarf, who was, by all means, trying to fight back.

"B, **BRAT**?!?! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?! I'M THE OVERLORD, DAMMIT!! You're just my vassal!" Laharl said, his hair standing up like an antenna.

"Etna-san, I think Laharl's just a little tired today… Y'know, being overlord and all…" Flonne said.

"I could care less if he were tired! Even if he were dead! It's wrong to dump all this crap… on ME!!!"

"_Then…" _a voice said. _"Why not put the Prinnies to work?"_

Two humans, one man and one woman, and a multi-purpose robot came out of the door. They all looked like rip-offs… I mean, err, heroes! Heroes from outer space! They were…

"Jennifer-san, Gordon-san, Thursday-san! What a surprise!" Flonne said, turning to the 3 D.O.E's

(Note: The setting is like 100 years after the story. And, I know, I know… how could those three still be breathing, right? Laharl granted the three a longer life span so they could be able to serve him— err… I mean Earth longer. That's about it.)

"Huh? Why are you three here? Aren't you guys supposed to be on Earth, protecting those worthless humans?" Laharl said. Gordon immediately reacted.

"W, Worthless?! We humans are not worthless!!" he shouted.

"Yeah, yeah… Whatever…" Laharl muttered while putting his hands behind his head.

"Why I oughta—!!"

"Now, now, Gordy… We came here to visit! Not to anger the Overlord." Jennifer said. She placed her hand on Gordon's shoulders and Gordon, like an obedient puppy, calmed down.

"BEEP BEEP BLIP…CAPTAIN GORDON, MISS JENNIFER, ARE YOU NOT HERE TO INFORM THEM OF YOUR GOOD NEWS?" Thursday said.

"Good news? What good news?"

Jennifer poked Gordon's rib with her elbow. She was giving him that you-tell-them look. Unable to rebel against his assistant's orders, Gordon sighed heavily. He went about the room, walking nervously as Jennifer walked beside him. When he stopped, he inhaled really, really, deeply, before saying…

"We're… getting…… married…"

"………"

"………"

"………"

"**W H A T?!?"**

"Uh-huh! Gordy and I are going to get married!!" Jennifer said, clinging to Gordon's arm. Thursday's arm suddenly popped out confetti and a banner that says _Congratulations! _Thursday, himself, doesn't look too happy.

"That explains why you were calling him _Gordy_…" Laharl said a bit disgusted when he said _Gordy_…

_(A/N: To be honest, it gives me the creeps too… YUCK!)_

"You serious?! You're going to marry _that _guy?!" Etna said, and it didn't sound like she was joking. But Jennifer would just nod without even reacting.

"Oh, what great news this is!! Jennifer-san, Gordon-san! I'm so happy for both of you!" Flonne said, clasping her hands together and shedding joyous tears.

"Thank you, Flonne. Both of us are here because we wanted to invite all of you to the weddi—"

"Oh no… Oh-hoh-hoh, no you don't!" Laharl immediately said. When the word invite came into his ears, he already knew what was coming.

"C'mon, Harlie! We just want to invite you so that we—"

"NO!!"

"It's just a ceremony! You're acting like a child, Laharl!" Flonne said but Laharl only turned his back on the fallen angel.

"A Wedding Ceremony is a beautiful ceremony where in you pledge you're eternal love for that special person!" Flonne continued.

"I told you not to say that wretched word!"

"What? Eternal Love??"

"AGH!!! I'm outta here! Etna!"

"What?"

"You can dump all that paperwork on Gordon!"

"Ok, sure. Suits me just fine!" Etna said. She turned to Gordon with an evil look on her face. She went nearer and nearer. And nearer. And nearer and nearer and nearer and!

"W, wait! Can't the Prinnies do it?! I'm here on vacation!" Gordon pleaded.

"Sorry, _GORDY_… But orders are orders and you are still the Prince's vassal so, Get to it!" Etna said, turning her back on the captain. But before vanishing into thin air, she reminded one thing…

"Oh and if you ever make a mistake in filing those, let's just say you won't be able to have any grandkids, or kids, for that matter, any time soon… So, Good Luck!" Etna said.

And with that, Etna vanished.

"TERRIBLE… TRULY TERRIBLE…"

Meanwhile, Flonne was still deeply troubled by Laharl's actions. Jennifer and Thursday looked at each other. They knew what Laharl meant to her. And what her ideals of love had done to Laharl. And yet…

"Flonne-chan… It's alright… I'm sure Harlie was just shaken up about the whole thing. I'm sure he's going to come!" Jennifer said.

"BEEP BLIP BEEP, MISS JENNIFER IS MUST ALWAYS LISTEN TO A HOT BABE, THAT'S…"

"… the law… I know, Thursday… *giggle*, thanks… But, I think I'm going to just talk to Laharl. That will set him straight. _(I hope.)_"

Flonne exited Laharl's quarter's, trying to track the Prince. Jennifer asked Thursday if he could follow Flonne and of course, he did. Flonne and Thursday both searched for Laharl. They searched nearly everywhere! From Jotunheim to Blair Forest but they couldn't find him anywhere. But, finally they were able to find him where they have least expected… In the training grounds. (A/N: I am inferring to the Tutorial Map)

"Is that all you weaklings can do?! You're hardly training material!" Laharl yelled to the stray Imps and Ghosts. They all cowered in fear as Laharl was getting ready to use his Meteor Impact on them, but fortunately…

"Laharl! Stop it! Can't you see that they are way below you're level?! Pick on someone your own size, you coward!"

"WHAT DID YOU SAY!?"

"EEK! EEK! EEK!" the imps yelled as they scurried on home.

"What the—?! Ah, dammit! They got away!"

"Laharl, I—"

"WHAT?!"

"……"

" ? "

"I…I…" Flonne uttered. She looked like she was a bit startled. And her eyes looked teary which alerted Laharl.

"H, Hey… Love Freak… D, Don't—"

"OH NO!!!" Flonne suddenly yelled.

"What the…"

"OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD!!!!"

"Hey, what the hell's your problem?!"

"I, I'm going to be late!"

"Late? Late for what?"

"I HAVE TO HURRY!!!"

"ANSWER ME, YOU DAMNED LOVE FREAK!!!"

Flonne checked her cute heart shaped watch. It was already half past one. It made Flonne fluster even more. She went flying off then flying back to Laharl, and then she would fly really high then suddenly go down below. Laharl, getting annoyed by the minute, harshly threw a rock at Flonne.

"Get a hold of yourself already!! Tell me what's going on!"

Flonne still dizzy from the bump she got answered, "The… the Seraph's… Seraph's… Seraph's son… is going to vi… vi…"

"Son? That old fart has a son?" Laharl asked the dizzy Flonne.

_(A/N: What a nice nickname for someone… ooh! I'm like a prinny commentary!) _

"The Seraph's… son's… going to vi…. visit…"

"…"

"The Seraph's son's going to visit…"

"**WHAT?!"**

**-+-+-+ ~END OF CHAPTER~ +-+-+-**

A/N: That's it for chappie no. 1! Tell me what you guys think, kay? And I hope you enjoyed… now give me your comments and suggestions! Thank you!!!!


	2. The Seraph's Son

A/N: holy crap! I am so sorry for not updating! Gahd! Holy shit! It was 2009 since I last updated or RATHER, started… Sorry… it's just that we don't have a computer at home and right now I'm typing this in a computer shop, so I'm very, very, sorry for the late update!

For the first eight reviewers, I'm so happy that you guys reviewed! And I hope you'll review for the next chapters to come too… and I'm sorry if this chapter sounds a little rushed! .

By the way, I'm not gonna write a disclaimer for any of the chapters, cause I learned from meh teacher that even if you say that you don't own the thing you're writing about, It doesn't exactly gets you off the hook… but I don't own Disgaea… :D

_Chapter 2: _**The Seraph's Son**

Flonne looked at Laharl in the eyes with a determined look on her face. By all means, she was doing her best to look 100% serious! She even tried on her super serious face that she only uses when she talks about space detectives but no matter how hard she tried,

"Bwahahahaha~!"

… Laharl still ended up laughing like hell.

"What the heck is so funny?!?"

"HaHaHaHaHa~! I can't believe the old fart has a kid! Hahaha, That's rich!"

Flonne turned furiously red but Laharl kept on laughing. And to think, just a while ago he was so worried bout her strange behavior.

"IS THAT TRUE MISS FLONNE?" Thursday turned to Flonne.

"Y, Yes… the Seraph has a son…"

"Gyahahahaha~~!!" another voice joined Laharl's.

"Huh? Etna? What are you doing here?"

"Duh! I followed you here! But seriously, A SON? Hahaha, that is hilarious!"

As Etna joined in Laharl's happy chorus of merry laughter and teasing, Flonne only turned redder out of either embarrassment or anger. Even though she was an ex-angel, it didn't change the fact that Flonne still highly respected the Seraph! She still had connections to him in some way. And therefore she still wanted to defend him and his name. Especially since two of her closest friends were laughing their ass off because of him.

Flonne shook off her anger and cleared her throat.

"I, If you must know, I think Stan is a very nice person!" she proudly stated.

*prick*

"His name is Stan? HAH! That is so LAME!! HaHaHaHa~! Isn't it so lame, Prince?" Etna laughed her heart out.

"…"

"Ahahaha… hah… uh… Prince?"

All of a sudden, Laharl turned serious. He returned to his old cross-armed, smug, little self. Etna and Flonne raised their brow.

"Laharl?" Flonne pondered.

"Hmph… So what is this Steve person planning upon entering my domain?"

"Like I said, he's just goin to visit… and it's Stan!"

"W,Whatever!"

Flonne only pouted in response. Why was Laharl so serious now? A while ago he was bursting with laughter… Flonne, being the airhead she is, didn't get Laharl's weird change of mood.

'_Maybe he's entering puberty??' _Flonne thought.

;;;

**Meanwhile…**

'_This could get interesting…_' a certain long haired angel thought.

As he watched the situation between the two from who knows where, he can't help surpass a smile. Seeping his tea calmly, he continues to watch them from afar.

"Let's see how he will handle this once my son enters the scene... Hmhmhm_…"_

_;;;_

'This could get interesting.' A similar thought passed through Etna's devious mind. Holding back an evil smirk, Etna spoke…

"So, Prince… Watcha plan on doing??"

"…"

Laharl thought deeply. Although the answer was pretty much obvious, Flonne still remained oblivious to the situation. Etna and Thursday could already tell Laharl's answer.

"I've decided! I shall go and meet this Stark person!"

"Ehh?! And it's Stan!" Flonne exclaimed.

"Whatever!"

"WHERE IS HE LOCATED?" Thursday asked.

"Oh, he said he'd meet me just outside the sealed gate."

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Etna said walking besides Laharl who was already on his way.

"Etna, you too?"

"Of course! I wouldn't miss this for a million HL!"

"Why?" Flonne asked.

"Oh, you'll see… hehe… _**YOU'LL SEE~**_"

**Outside the Sealed Gate**

Not a lot of monsters roamed this part of the Netherworld. For some reason, it even repelled monsters. Maybe it was because it had something to do with another dimension. But otherwise, there was no danger… And yet

"Flonne you have _**got**_ to calm down!" Etna complained, watching Flonne pace back and forth in front of the gate.

"S,Sorry…"

"He's late, that's all. What are you so worried about, love-freak?" Laharl said in a less-than-considerate tone.

Flonne didn't answer but worry spread across her face. Etna nudged Laharl on the elbow and with one annoyed look on the fallen angel, Laharl let out an exasperated sigh.

"L,Look, F…Flonne… ugh, it's not my fault we're late! Etna wanted to stop by the Sea of Gehanna first to get pudding out of her stash!*" (A/N: _People who have played Etna mode know this!~)_

"WHAT?! You were the one who got us into trouble with all those zombies on the way there! Because you thought it would be fun to bowl them with a Prinny!"

"Hah! At least I bowled a strike! You threw gutterballs!"

"Why you little punk—!"

Before another massive war could have started, Thursday stood in between them. He didn't say anything but they knew what he wanted. I mean, standing in the way of an overlord and a demonlord was just as stupid as calling Gordon smart.

"Tch…"

"Hmph…"

For a while everyone was just silent. But the 20 minutes passed and still no Seraph's son… Everyone was starting to get bored, including Flonne… the next 20 minutes had gone by, and still no one… and the next… and the next…

"Are you sure he's coming? It's been like an hour now! Is there like a time difference between Celestia and the Netherworld or something? Jeez…" Etna complained .

"Yes! I'm sure he said he'd be here… I hope…"

Laharl snored. Thursday entered Hibernate Mode. Etna yawned until her mouth could stretch no longer. And Flonne's feet felt like jello… Etna was getting a bit sleepy herself, but then she suddenly thought of something… Her yawn twisted into an evil smile.

"Say Flonne…"

"Huh?" Flonne muttered nearly dozing off.

"I have a question…"

"What is it, Etna?"

By that time, everyone was partially conscious and could hear the conversation clearly, although, a certain blue haired demon was not that interested. That is until…

"Who's Stan to you?"

With that question, Laharl's eyes propped open, though to him it was involuntary, but to Etna it was a chance!

"Is he like a friend or a BEST friend… or a …. Lover?"

*twitch*

Flonne only blushed in response, making Etna smile two times wider.

"Oh-hoh?? He **IS **your lover!!" Etna said pretending to be excited.

"He is not!!" Flonne protested.

"Then why are you so red?"

"Cause!! He… he is only a friend to me! A childhood friend…"

'Hm… good for you Prince…' Etna thought. She looked over to Laharl who was looking their way and gave him a sly smile as if she knew what he was thinking. Jumping a little, Laharl looked the other way pretending to be un-interested.

'_Keh! Like I care! What the hell was that stupid smile even for?! I don't care about love freak's relations! Why should I? I'm here to see that old fart's son and see if he's up to no good! Nothin' else!'_

Putting his hands behind his head, Laharl, for the rest of the conversation, whistled to himself a tune often played at the castle called Ode to Laharl, to keep his selfishness in tact.

"Soo…" Etna continued. "How old is he??"

"About my age! Around 1606 years old."

Still Laharl whistled to himself, pretending not to hear which, much to her dismay, disappointed and annoyed Etna. But, she wasn't gonna stop there.

"Really? Just as old as you, huh? When did you meet him?"

"At a pre-school for angel trainees! Stan was kind of special so no one wanted to talk to him… I asked him to play with me and we became instant friends!"

Laharl's whistling suddenly toned down then again toned up. It was fast enough for Flonne or Thursday to not notice, but unfortunately for him, not enough for Etna's pointy ears.

'_HmHmHm… Now for the final blow!'_

"Last one Flonne! Do you… hmm let's see…"

Flonne waited for Etna's question unknowingly that someone was more interested to hear the demonlord's question than her. Though, he denied it.

"…do you _love _him?"

…

…

…

"Of course!"

"…"

The gates opened emitting a loud noise. But if no one else but Etna had noticed,

…… the whistling had stopped.

_**END~!!!!!**_

A/N: UGH! MY FRIGGIN BACK FRIGGIN HURTS!!! BUT ITS DONE… TO LAZY TO TURN OFF THE CAPS LOCK OFF… SO BEAR WITH THESE HUGE LETTERINGS….. ANYWAY……………….. REVIEW PLEASE!!!

DID IT SUCK EGGS OR WHAT??

:D

-u-

XDD

XP


	3. Bratty Angels and Space Detectives

A/N: Hey! Okay, long story short… There was a blackout. Deleted my FUCKING file, now, I'm gonna have to start from FUCKING scratch… FUCK IT… FUCK, FUCK, FUCK, FUCK, AND FUCK! ((

Ok, anyway, thanks guys, for reviewing. I mentioned all your names in the deleted file but once again, I am typing this in a computer shop, so, no time. I might not even finish this… Ahem, sorry. I hope you guys enjoy it anyway. To Hard labor everyone!

_**CHAPTER THREE: **__Bratty Angels and Space Detectives_

Three demons and a multipurpose robot stood in front of a 2 gigantic doors that formed a gate, anticipating fot it to reveal a certain person. But before the chapter progresses, let me explain to you that this gate is no ordinary gate. This particular gate led to another dimension; Celestia the land of angels. 'Tis a land where people had chicken wings sticking out of their back and they pretend like it's no big deal… where light and fluffy clouds were their earth and colorful flowers were their bedspread. But above all, it is a land where the concept of love and kindness ruled over all. For short, if you were a demon…

…you'd die.

Celestia is the exact opposite of the Netherworld in all aspects. Ask any demon or angel, both would agree hands down. The two races have had rough relations ever since anyone could remember. Angels labeled demons as corrupt and evil, avoiding them as they were viruses. While the demons simply claimed to be allergic to the angel and their constant blabbering of 'LOVE THIS, LOVE THAT!'

They weren't exactly _friends__**. **_That is until, over a hundred years ago, when a story circulated between the two worlds about a boy overlord who accompanied an angel trainee girl to Celestia. Together with his vassals that comprised of both humans and demons, the overlord along with the trainee fought and defeated the evil archangel Vulcanus from his plot to overthrow Celestia's current Seraph.

The Seraph punished the angel trainee for hurting her own kind by turning her into a flower. Seeing this, the overlord was enraged. He nearly killed the Seraph but he showed him mercy. Before giving up his life to save the girl, the flower turned the angel trainee into a fallen angel, making her a permanent resident of the Netherworld…

Though there were a lot of versions of the story above, angels and demons alike were touched by its moral… well, angels mostly… More and more angels came to the Netherworld, having both good and bad intentions. Nonetheless, it was a kind of start. And that is how this chapter starts. :3

"Hey… hey, Flonne!" a red-haired demon girl said.

"Yes, Etna?"

"Got another question for ya!"

"Shoot."

"Is this Stan guy handsome?"

Etna whispered it to Flonne's ear but it was noticeably loud enough for _someone_'s pointy earsto overhear.

"Oh yes! Very much."

Etna, pleased with the girl's reaction takes out her skull-shaped compact, fully armed with a mirror, and starts to check herself out. Flonne only took this as her friend's silly shenanigans and chuckled. She didn't know Etna was just using the mirror to see the way Laharl reacted.

He grunted.

' _AHaHa...This is going to be great!' _Etna thought, before closing her compact.

The four of them waited for the gate open, which it was, but in a very slooooow way… but then the creaking stopped and everyone's attention turned to the door. Everyone was silent.

…

…

…

*Sniffle*

!

All of them, except Flonne, heard the nasally sound and so they held their breath. A little boy came out. He was unusually short and geeky. His orange hair was scruffy. He had big glasses covering his miniscule azure eyes. Freckles covered his pale cheeks and of course not to mention the red runny nose.

"Ah-choo!" the boy sneezed.

Laharl, Etna and Thursday's mouths _(if Thursday had a mouth)_ dropped 50 feet below the ground.

"_THAT'S__** STAN**_?" Etna exclaimed.

"Haahahahahaha! No wonder Love Freak likes him! Look at him, he's a brat!" Laharl said pointing at the geeky child.

'_You're a brat too, y'know._' Etna side-commented.

"GEEK ALERT! GEEK ALERT!" warned Thursday.

"Ahahaha~! I thought you said he was handsome? And that he was about your age? This kid's no shorter than the prince!" Etna said in between laughs. Laharl muttered a _I Heard That_! In between his laughter.

"He is!" Flonne protested.

"Then what is THAT?" Etna pointed Flonne's head at the getting-angry-by-the-second boy.

She looked confused as he stared at the little boy. The little boy's angry suddenly turned into a blank expression. Flonne turned to her friends with the same face.

"That's not Stan."

"…"

"That's just an angel."

(_SILENCE~)_

"_**You misleading little twerp**_! Get the hell out of there" Etna yelled at the boy.

She could've skewered him there and then if it hadn't been for Flonne pulling her back. Which was almost impossible to do since it WAS Etna we were talking about.

"Hey…" a familiar voice said.

"L, Laharl? When did you—?" Flonne stuttered.

"Shut it…" Laharl ordered.

Flonne flinched but she fell silent anyways. If it were almost impossible to calm down Etna, it would need a miracle for Laharl. He turned his attention to the shivering boy.

'_Something's strange about this boy.' _ Laharl thought examining the angel.

"What are you doing here, kid?" he asked the boy in a less than formal way. The boy only stared at him.

"Laharl! He's just a bo—" Flonne was cut off.

"I said be shut it, Love Freak!"

Flonne grimaced. She could do nothing since Laharl was _her_ King now and it kind of hurt her how Laharl started calling her Love Freak again. But she said nothing.

"Kid, answer me."

"…"

"Hey! Didn't you hear me? I said—"

"_**BULLY~!"**_

"Wha—?"

"BULLY! Bully, Bully, Bully, Bully!~"

The boy continued to yell at Laharl. When Laharl tried to speak, he'd be cut off by more screaming. Then it came to the point where the screaming came with a fresh batch of saliva just spraying out of control to the Overlord's face.

"Why you little—!" Laharl tried to reach out to the boy when,

"NO! Don't touch me, you bully!"

Without thinking, the boy kicked Laharl's leg and ran past him. Laharl was too stunned by the pain to do anything. The boy ran clumsily over to Flonne, hid behind her like a scared puppy.

"OWW!" Laharl shouted. He jumped on one leg, ridiculously while easing the pain.

"Haha, he got you good, Prince!" Etna commented. Laharl gave her a deadly stare

"That's it! Come here you little punk…"

Laharl marched over to the boy and Flonne. He took out his sword and aimed it at them. The boy shivered and pushed Flonne a little.

"Eep! S, Space Detective, save me!" he yelled.

"S… Space… Detective…?"

Laharl walked slowly, knowing the boy wouldn't be able to escape his grasp. Every step he took left traces of death. His face was filled with veins that popped.

"I'll teach you to mess with an Overlord… No one kicks me in the shin and gets away with it!"

The boy was about to wail when suddenly Flonne stepped protectively in front of him, spreading her hands as if she were Moses.(A/N: I'm running out of words!)

"You will not harm this child!" she said proudly.

Laharl stopped in his tracks. He realized the ex-angel trainee was standing in the way of his revenge. He glared at her but she stood her ground. It annoyed Laharl to the max.

"You defend angels even though you're a demon now Love Freak?" he mockingly asked.

"Again, PRINCE Laharl… My name isn't LOVE FREAK, it's Flonne!" she emphasized Prince and Love Freak in a way that peeved Laharl to no end. Then her eyes popped open in sudden realization.

"NO! It's **Space Detective Flonne**!"

Laharl blankly stared at her.

"And in the name of Space Detectives everywhere, I shall not let you harm this boy! For as long as there is hope, love and kindness, justice shall always prevail! This boy's plea shall not go unnoticed, for wherever there is…"

_**Meanwhile…**_

"_Miss Evil-Looking Demon girl…" the boy turned to Etna._

"_What, geeky looking angel?" Etna replied with the same childlike innocence but with a bit of malice._

"_Is she always, like this?" he pointed at Flonne._

"_Yep. All the time…"_

"_Jeez… What a weirdo."_

"_Tell me about it."_

_**Back to Flonne!**_

"… SPACE DETECTIVE FLONNE!" Flonne concluded with a long gasp for air. Laharl just yawned.

"You done?" he asked in a bored tone. Flonne nodded in response.

"Good. Now move aside!"

Flonne shook her head as she spread her arms wider than before. Her resolve was stronger because of her almighty albeit boring speech.

"MOVE ASIDE! That boy owes me his life!"

"For what? Kicking you?"

"Yes! Now move it, before I slice you and that boy in two."

Though Flonne knew Laharl would never do that she couldn't help getting scared. Nevertheless she still stood her ground. Laharl tightened his grip on his sword and approached them slowly.

_*gulp*_

"_How unsightly, Overlord."_

Laharl turned to the voice that seemed to echo throughout the wide space. Then, the large door creaked catching his attention. He turned around to the door but no one came out. Then the voice spoke again.

"_First, you bully a child_…" the voice whispered to his ear.

Laharl swung his sword around to the entity but nothing was sliced. Instead he noticed that Flonne and the little boy was no longer where he left them.

"… _then, you disrespect your vassals…"_

Laharl, once again turned around to the door, as if he was being made a fool of! And finally, his oppressor showed himself. An angel with huge feathered wings appeared. His slightly long curly blonde streaks covered his eyes. He wore the same thing as the Seraph's except the colors were mostly shades of blue. He held Flonne in one arm and the kid in the other.

" …_**and…**_" he continued, his dark red eyes flashed.

"_You actually threaten __my__ Flonne_."

The angel tightened his grip on Flonne's arm. A crack was heard underneath Laharl's feet.

'_I didn't sense this guy's presence at all… and what the hell does he mean by _his_ Flonne?'_

"S, Stan!" Flonne said.

After glaring a bit more at the young Overlord, Stan turned his angry expression to a gentle one as he let go of Flonne's arm and flashed a smile at her.

"Heya Flonne!"

Flonne forgot about her sudden shock and returned the smile. And then she bopped Stan on the head.

"You're late!" she said.

"Ahehe… S, Sorry…"

Flonne pouted like a little child and all Stan could do was laugh nervously. He almost forgot about the demon who was watching everything.

"Ahem… My apologies, Overlord, but I couldn't help intervene with your _personal _affairs" Stan turned to Laharl.

"Tch…"

"But, it's been a while since I've been here. I just never thought demons would sink so low." He said mockingly, obviously trying to pick a fight with the overlord.

"You've been here before?" Laharl asked.

"A long time ago, yes, when your father was still reigning."

Laharl smirked.

"Then you must know what kind of hospitality we offer here in the Netherworld…" Laharl said with an evil grin.

Stan's eye twitched.

"But of course Overlord! Consider me nothing but a commoner. But I am your guest here so I hope you'll take care of me."

Laharl's eye twitched.

The air around the two grew heavy. A glaring contest took part. Everyone of them felt the atmosphere except for the usual one.

Flonne blinked obliviously at the scene. What was happening? Why was everybody silent? Then a soft sniffle caught her attention. She remembered the little boy she was protecting a while ago.

"Stan… Do you know this little boy?" she asked beckoning to the boy.

Stan temporarily ended the glaring contest to answer Flonne. He looked puzzled but then he realized what she had meant and chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Flonne asked.

"Haha, that little boy is my little sister."

…

SILENCE.

Everything was silent. Some still processed the information they just heard… then the booming questions!

"Y, Y, You have a sister?" Flonne said.

"THAT'S A GIRL?" Etna yelled in disbelief.

Laharl even forgot about his temper and looked surprised. Now that he thought about it, he did look like a bully…

"Introduce yourself Alex." Stan said to the little… girl.

"HI! I'm Alexandra. Alex for short! Aren't I pretty?" Alex said batting her eyes at the audience.

No one said anything. Not even Stan.

"U, Uhh… Anyway, who are your friends?" Stan said to Flonne.

"Oh! I almost forgo—" Flonne was cut off by another voice.

"Etna, at your service." Etna said bowing lady-like before Stan. Stan returned the bow.

"At least some of the demons here are courteous." Stan noted.

"Oh yeah, we all are! Don't mind the Prince; he's always like that… A pathetic excuse for an Overlord" Etna whispered the last part to Stan. Laharl eyed them suspiciously.

"Haha, demons are entertaining as well. I might like it here…"

"This is Thursday. Our friends' multi-purpose robot" Flonne introduced. Thursday greeted Stan with multiple beeps.

"Ooh… a robot! I've always wanted to see the earthlings' greatest creation."

Stan observed Thursday with adoring eyes. He looked like a child with a new toy. He pushed random buttons and every time it did something he would clap his hands and rejoice.

"And, umm…"

Laharl looked at the group with fiery eyes. But he closed them and turned to Stan.

"Laharl, King of the Netherworld." He simply introduced.

A smirk plastered on Stan's face as he replied,

"Pleasure…"

The glaring contest was back on. Etna sighed. Was this going to happen every time they crossed paths? This might hinder her plans… Alex stirred.

"Hey bully!"

"What did you say?" Laharl said threateningly.

"I'm hungry." She openly stated.

"So?"

Alex glared at him. She was about to throw a tantrum when Flonne kneeled in front of her and smiled sweetly.

"Don't worry Alex. We're going to eat at the castle today."

"Really? Yey!" Alex rejoiced. Laharl opened his mouth to protest when Flonne Flashed him a deadly glare, a glare she hardly even used. He scoffed.

"You're King Laharl's guests so don't worry, you can eat all you want!" Flonne reassured the girl. Alex rejoiced even more.

"Go on, Alex, walk with big sis' Flonne." Stan said.

Alex smiled ear to ear at him before running over to Flonne. She dragged Flonne, skipping happily. Soon, everyone made their way to the castle. It was getting late as well. People were out of sight in just a few minutes.

"Aren't you going as well?" Stan asked.

"Hmph…" Laharl muttered.

He started to make his way to the castle with Stan just behind him. Laharl knew the angel was observing him from behind. But he had other things in mind.

'_This guy isn't pure angel… he doesn't have the same presence as Flonne's or any other angel. His is more… pained.'_ Laharl thought, he put his hands behind his head.

'_Plus, his eyes are red. No angel I've seen before had red eyes. It's almost as if he were a—_'

"Demon."

Laharl stopped in his tracks. He turned to Stan and of course, he glared at him.

"You called?" Laharl said.

"Hmhmhm… Sorry, my mind was elsewhere."

Laharl shrugged and started to walk again. For a minute there, he thought the guy could read minds. But the theory stayed in his mind.

"So… I've heard from a lot of angels that the Netherworld is… exotic. What do you think King Laharl?"

"I rule this world so it is only natural that many admire it. Even angels."

"Haha, true, since King Laharl has been dubbed as the _Loving Overlord_ of the Netherworld!"

"WHAT?" Laharl spun around.

"I was joking…"

"W, Why you…" Laharl said, a vein popped on his forehead.

"But all kidding aside… I hope the Netherworld proves worthy."

Laharl raised a brow at him. _Worthy? Worthy of what?_

"If not… I might just take her away from you."

Stan passed by Laharl who, this time, stopped fully in his tracks. His mouth gaped slightly open at what the angel just said. Stan smiled and kept on walking like he said nothing wrong. But he turned to Laharl and said;

"Again, I was only joking."

He waved at Laharl, telling him to catch up. After a few seconds Laharl started walking again. More and more, his dislike for this character grew. He muttered to himself…

"Angel bastard…"

**END OF CHAPTER!~**

**A/N: **Turns out, I couldn't make it. I typed half of this like a week or so and I continued it today. I'm tired… my back hurts… again! Hahhaha! (I'm going crazeh!)

DID IT SUCK?

DID THE TITLE SUCK?

Yeess… veerryy much… :3

Thanks to my 14 reviewers! I'm so grateful. And I'm sorry if this chapter sucks too. T_T

It's currently 6:31 in the evening. And I have to walk over two hills to get home… Wah! Please! Use your reviews to ease the pain of my hard labor! LOOK FORWARD TO THE NEXT CHAPTER! AND BTW, I NEED SUGGESTIONS ON WHAT ETNA'S PLAN'S GOING TO BE! I HAVEN'T THOUGHT OF ONE YET… GUUH…

I'll thank people on the next chapter, which I think is going to be a while (START OF CLASSES! ARGH!)

Thanks and reviews highly appreciated!

AkiraKoma770~

:3 myu~


	4. Checkmate

R I V A L

DISGAEA

_**CHAPTER 4: **__Checkmate_

"Hmm…"

"How do I put it?"

"Well, it's not like being surrounded by vicious looking demons isn't welcoming and all but I expected something… better?" Stan said, warily gazing upon the sea of demons gathered around him and his little sister. Laharl scoffed.

"What did you expect, flowers around your pretty little neck?"

What Laharl said earned him a glare from both Stan and Flonne. He shrugged it off.

"Angel – Demon discrimination isn't that all surprising here in the Netherworld but, this is a little… WOAH." Etna said, staring at the mass of demons wedged into the opening of the Dimensional Gate.

"But… how come I was accepted so easily?" Flonne said, furrowing her brows questioningly.

The red-haired demon girl just smiled impishly at Flonne. "Isn't it obvious?"

"Umm… No?"

"DUH! It's 'coz you don't look threatening to us at all! You just look like some blockhead who got lost." Etna said matter-of-factly.

"W, Wha—?"

"Hey Prince, doncha think it's time to call off these demons?" Etna asked, totally ignoring the shadow once known as Flonne.

"E, Etna? What does that mean? Am I not demon—ic enough? Am I a failure as a demon?"

At first, Etna didn't really react but after pondering a moment, she simply said;

"Well… Yeah, pretty much."

Then Etna turned back to Laharl, leaving Flonne on the ground, hugging her knees and picking on the soft soil.

"F, Flonne?" Stan said, putting a hand on her shoulder."

"Stan, tell me the truth."

"Y, Yes?"

"Do I… Do I look.."

"Yess?"

"DO I LOOK SCARY~?"

Flonne tried to put on the scariest face, a face that would disgust the average human, she could muster but Stan still couldn't help saying;

"C, Cute.."

"Cute? CUTE? Is that why I'm not scary? Because I'm too CUTE?"

***DRAMATIC THUNDER***

_**(Etna: "Oi…")**_

"Is that so? I see it now… That's why. I'm just too cute…" Flonne said bowing her head in defeat.

"Egoistic fallen angel…" Etna hissed under her breathe.

All of a sudden, Flonne dramatically stood up from where she sat. She stood up way too fast too; it almost made her fall back down. Then she drearily made her way to a long red scarf and tugged on it weakly.

"Ne, Laharl…"

"W, What?"

"Am I… cute?"

Laharl felt blood running up to his face as he looked down on Flonne's watery crimson eyes. He quickly turned away, never answering the question. Somewhere nearby, Etna was laughing her guts out.

"As much as I'd hate breaking up such scene," Stan said, a mix of sarcasm and impatience in his voice, "but we do have a problem here."

He beckoned to the demons whose patience was also wearing thin. All of them turned to the one person who could stop all this nonsense.

"Whattaya lookin' at me for" Laharl said.

"You are the Overlord, Prince." Etna stated.

"What's your point?"

"Ugh! You stupid brat! Call them off! These are all your vassals!" Etna pointed to the demons who were in fact Laharl's vassals.

"Don't call your king stupid! Don't call me a brat either!" Laharl spat back, his antenna-like hair stood up.

"First of, I'll never call someone as stupid as you king! And second, I'LL DO WHATEVER THE HELL I WANT!"

While those two were trying to wring each other's necks, again, let's go to the childhood friends shall we?

Fortunately, their fighting distracted the demons, giving Stan the chance to slip out and stand beside Flonne, who was only giggling at the rocks flying past her.

"Does this… happen often here?" he asked.

"Oh yes! Almost no day goes by without those two fighting." Flonne chuckled a little when Etna's spear found its way to Laharl's butt.

"Hmm, I see it now. Is this the philosophy the humans use as the more you hate, the more you love?" Stan said, as if analyzing the prospect.

"Wha? I…"Flonne could only muster.

"I see, I see, this must be it! They pretend to hate one other but they secretly have feelings for the other person, don't they?"

" U, Uhm…"

"It's quite intoxicating really… Is this why humans are so addicted to those soap opera dramas I've heard about before? This is why. Interesting..."

Stan thought for a while. A long while. Until the time he was stuck with his own thoughts that he couldn't even see Flonne's hands waving in front of him.

"Stan?" Flonne said.

"O,Oh, I'm sorry… Where was I? Ah, yes!"

"Ehe…"

"Ahem, anyway… They suit each other, no?"

Flonne froze, for a mere second, before reluctantly replying.

"Y, Yes! I suppose they do."

Flonne smiled reluctantly but she hid from Stan's view. With this Stan smiled, before his gaze went back to Laharl and Etna. He ended the conversation with a single word which made Flonne puzzled. Its meaning she'd only realize a little later on.

"Good."

The fighting continues as Laharl and Etna battled it out with words, verbally abusing one another, looking for the right time to strike!

"_Stupid spoiled brat!"_

"_Good-for-nothing vassal!"_

Things were getting a little out of hand. The demons were starting to gang up on Stan and Alex. Flonne was doing her best to keep them from harming them, her arms spread across like a wall.

"No, don't do anything to them!", she pleaded but the demons only surrounded them more, turning a deaf ear to Flonne's pleas.

"Laharl do something!" Flonne pleaded but it's as if he heard nothing as he continued to argue with Etna with gritted teeth.

That's when some kind of pain struck Flonne. What was that? Her chest felt tight when she looks at Laharl and Etna fighting. She thought of what Stan said and it only induced the pain. Flonne shook her head. This was no time to think of such things! She continued to face the demons surrounding them. That's when a familiar kind of demon went up to them and ended all the nonsense.

"Prince Laharl, dood!"

"Huh?"

The momentary distraction was all Etna needed to initiate her attack. Out of nowhere, she produced one of those stretchy things with a boxing glove at the end and punched Laharl straight to the face, sending him flying across the horde of demons.

"OUUCCHH~!"

"P, prince Laharl?"

Laharl rolled on the ground a few times before he came to a stop, battered and lifeless. With this, Etna silently exited the scene completely satisfied. Laharl stood up straight, rubbing his swollen cheek, muttering something about '_roasting that flat bitch alive' ._When he looked up, instead of concerned faces, all he saw was Flonne and the others clapping their hands, their mouths in an 'O' shape.

"Sugoi! He did a triple loop!"Alex said excitedly.

"What?"

"That was the best melodramatic spinning I've ever seen. I'll give you 10 points." Stan teased, holding up a score card.

"Ooh, perfect score! I wanna try it too!" Flonne said, not getting the joke.

"ARE ALL YOU ANGELS IDIOTS?" Laharl exclaimed.

"Onii-chan! I saw his head detach from his body and then reattach again, I swear!" Alex noted, tugging on Stan's robes.

"Oh! Impressive Overlord Laharl!" Stan merrily said, for a while completely forgetting about the demons who impatiently watched them.

Laharl banged his head on the castle pavement. How stupid of him to ask that question. Of course all angels are dumb! He should've learned from Flonne. His mood seemed to grow unsteady, unfortunately for a certain demon.

'_I'm definitely gonna live through this, dood…' _

The Prinny cautiously approached Laharl who was hunched up over a wall, a heavy aura around him. _Must be from culture shock, _the Prinny noted. He continued to approach him carefully. When he was near enough, he straightened himself up and coughed nervously.

"P, Prince Laharl, dood!"

"HUUUH?"

"…."

'_Oh yeah, dood, definitely not gonna live through this.'_

"A, Anyway, uhh, the other demons, dood, are well, dood, asking if … dood… you, dood…"

Laharl raised a brow at the Prinny. It stood in place for a few minutes until the Prinny finally froze in place.

'_Damn, dood! I totally screwed this up! This is soo going out my paycheck…'_

The Prinny stood like a statue. Unmoving and motionless. Flonne tried poking it but, what would you expect from a statue?

"I think you broke it, Laharl." She simply stated.

'_Damn it, dood. Goodbye paycheck~!'_

Just then, Ingrid, otherwise known as the Dimensional Gatekeeper _(and informally known as Laharl's babysitter)_ came rushing to the scene, pushing away the petrified Prinny. (_it hit a wall and exploded) _. Ingrid grabbed Laharl's shoulder instinctively.

"Prince, is he bothering you?" she whispered as she pointed a finger to Stan. "Shall we dispose of him right away?"

"W, What are you talking about?"

Ingrid pushed Laharl a little closer just enough for them to muffle their whispers to a lower level.

"Prince, I know you must feel that strange aura that angel and his sister is giving out." Ingrid whispered cautiously.

"What's this about?" Laharl asked, confused. "Wait, before that how did you figure out that she was a girl?"

"We've heard every word you've said, as well as the others."

"Oh…"

"A-NY-WAAY… What does Your Highness wants us to do to them?" Ingrid said loudly. The roar of the demons echoed throughout the castle.

"W, Why are all of you acting so loyal now?" Laharl asked, a little flushed.

"You know," the ghost said, "Even if we don't like it,"

_**(Laharl: "Hey…")**_

"… We are still Lord Laharl's vassals" the zombie named Zommie, continued. All of the demons surrounding them bowed down to Laharl. It caused Laharl to feel uncomfortable and… shifty with the demons' change of heart.

"Y. YOU IDIOTS!" was all a flustered Laharl said before sharply turning his back on them. They all watched with anticipation for Laharl to get back to proper thinking. After a minute or so _(it took him that long)_ he faced them with a straight face, arms crossed like his usual stance. He closed his eyes before coolly saying;

"Be at ease. They are guests in the castle."

"Laharl…" Flonne said happily. Somewhere, Etna smirked to herself. Somehow even Stan formed a curve on his lips but it wasn't that noticeable. Instead he directed that smile to Alex. He bent down to the girl who looked like she had no idea of what was going on but when she saw her big brother, her confused expression turned into a happier one.

"Nii-chan, what are all these weird-looking Prinnies doing?"

_**(Demons: *snicker*) **_

"When do we get to eat? I'm hungry…"Alex complained rubbing her tummy. Stan broadened his smile.

"Don't worry Alex. Lord Laharl has accepted us to his court. We can eat lots of food now without being disturbed!"

"Really? YEY!"

The little jumped joyfully around Stan. Her big brother watched her do so, that smile plastered on his face. They both didn't notice the demons gathered around them. Alex instinctively ran behind Stan. Stan put one hand over her protectively.

"What is that you want?" he said cautiously.

"So…" one of the monsters started, "You're Prince Laharl's guests?"

Stan reluctantly nodded. Sure, he was powerful but taking all these demons all at once was just nearly impossible. Nearly, but he couldn't risk Alex.

"Well, then…"

Stan gulped, expecting the worst. All of the demons took a step back from them. They braced themselves, Alex gripping her brother's robes tightly. This was it…

…

"Welcome…"

"Eh?"

"WELCOME TO OUR HOME!"

"Eh…"

A look of disbelief was on Stan and Laharl's faces. Both of them expected the same thing.

"Wha—?"

Laharl was cut off when a golem shyly but roughly moved him out of the way.

"What the—?"

"Sorry about that! We didn't know you were the Prince's guests." The golem said rubbing his head, shyly.

"Honestly, he never tells us anything!" another butted in.

"Such an irresponsible Overlord!" a familiar voice added.

"ETNA!" Laharl shouted, pointing to the demon that was with the crowd but before Laharl could catch up and get revenge, Etna faded into the crowd as quickly as she appeared.

"Tch, got away again..."

Meanwhile, Stan was taken aback with the mass of demons surrounding them. Unlike before instead of icy glares and pointy weapons, they were greeted with laughs and smiles.

"Haha, you know, you have a pretty evil aura for an angel!" the golem said.

Stan glowered, but he didn't show it. He was good at hiding his expressions. He only showed discomfort at what the golem said.

"Oh relax! I meant that as a compliment!"

"Oh, I see… I apologize then, haha."

The golem laughed with him. But after it turned away, Stan's expression grew dark. It was just

'_Too close for comfort.'_

"Pathetic excuses for vassals! And to think they were fussing over me a while ago!" Laharl loudly complained. He watched them fussing about Stan. To be honest, he felt a little… dare he say it; _jealous…_

"Hah! It should be me they're fussing about! Not that Stan guy!"

"Hey! You got his name right!"

"GAH!"

Laharl jumped when he heard the fallen angel's voice. He clenched his chest, feeling as if his heart would jump out. Flonne tilted her head.

"What's wrong Laharl?"

"Y, You scared me, stupid!"

"Eh?"

"W, What?"

"I… scared you?"

"Huh?"

Laharl pondered a moment before realizing what he said. _You scared me…_ Laharl sighed. Sheesh, what a simpleton.

"Laharl, did I scare you?" Flonne asked, eyes wide. Her tone brightened to realization.

"Does that mean I'm—?"

"Don't infer anything Love Freak." Laharl said as he started to walk away.

"B, But you said—"

"Fool! I said you _surprised_ me! No one can scare the Great Laharl!" Laharl said, his wide smug grin spread on his face.

Flonne fumed but Laharl kept on gloating and walking away. Ever since Flonne became a demon, she's been… a little _off the edge._ Unlike before, she now does things she never would have thought to do before. Like, I don't know; how to _attack someone while their guard is off_, as she describes. But despite the words she used we all know the technical definition is

"GYAAH!"

… Backstabbing. (_Rolls eyes)_

Unfortunately, Laharl's reflexes were much too much for the bubbly ex-angel. So instead of hitting him with her thick staff and running at the first sight of blaring red eyes, she missed her target and fell straight to the ground with a poof.

"Oof!" Flonne cried.

"Haahahahahaha! You think you can catch me off guard? Don't be so foolish! You're a hundred years too early for that!"

"Ooh Laharl! You jerk!"

"Hmph, get used to it!"

Flonne fumed even more. This time she tried pummeling Laharl directly but he avoided all her hits with no difficulty. He flashed her that mischievous smile that got him more on her nerves.

"Ha! Slowpoke!" Laharl teased, sticking out his tongue. He patted his butt and directed it to her. Flonne turned crimson with anger and annoyance.

While those two were arguing, a blonde fellow couldn't help but notice the atmosphere they gave off, despite the current attention he was getting from the ones in front of him. His eyes lowered when Flonne punched Laharl's arm but Laharl only laughed at her feeble attempt to hurt him. The angel was beet red from anger but he saw something else; a hint of happiness in those scarlet eyes of hers. He didn't even realize Alexandra tugging on his robes, asking if they could ignore all the retarded-looking Prinny-like creatures and eat.

Stan never answered.

(Fast-forward to Dinnertime)

"Sugoi!~" Alex exclaimed, looking at the spread in front of her. All kinds of exotic food were displayed on the majestic table. But of course, it was expected since it was Laharl's dining table.

"There's so much! Who cooked all these yummy food?" Alex said as she plopped on to a seat beside Flonne.

"Red-Ribbons did." Laharl answered, munching on some dead branch. (_quite the delicacy in the Netherworld)_

"Flonne-neechan did? SUGOI!" Alex said staring widely at the table.

"It's nothing… hehe…" Flonne said, blushing quite a bit, despite Laharl's new nickname for her.

"Haahahahahaha! Of course! It's normal for an Overlord to have his fill!" Laharl stated.

A long table was in the middle of the wide room; at its middle stood a candle bright enough to have lit the whole castle. The sound of an orchestra playing resounded throughout the room. It gave off a royalty type of feeling. Flonne sat beside Alex; Etna was nowhere to be found which is weird since she never misses dinner. At the head of the table sat, who else, but Laharl and apart from everyone else and opposite Laharl, sat Stan. There was an awkward silence among them but luckily the tone of the music the orchestra of Prinnies was playing was lively. It filled the gap until finally, Alex spoke.

"Can I eat now?"

"Oh! Uhh, sure Alex, you can eat to as much as you want!" Flonne encouraged. The angel smiled at Flonne and hugged her tightly.

"Thank you!"

With that, Alex ate up.

"Umm, you guys eat up too. Ms. Jennifer and Mr. Gordon won't be joining us tonight so feel free to eat as much as you want…"

Laharl started gulfing down big proportions of food all at once. He'd choke every now and then but only more food entered his mouth. He didn't know someone was intently watching this gluttonous behavior of his. Laharl was currently eating 5 black pretzels when he noticed Stan's mocking eyes staring straight at him from across the table.

"Gff—!"

Laharl had to hit his chest sharply before the pretzels slid down his throat.

'_Damn, I almost went down the same path as my pops!' _Laharl thought, wiping his mouth. He looked across the table to find Stan with a blank face, still staring at him. Then he muttered something meant only for his ears but unfortunately too loud for the Overlord.

"Disgusting…"

Plates clattered as Laharl stood up from his throne-like seat, banging his hand loudly on the table.

"If you have something to say, say it to my face, you!" Laharl exclaimed, his hair standing up.

Stan sat in silence.

"Well?" Laharl said.

"Nothing." Stan simply said but he didn't stop looking at Laharl with those mocking eyes. A nerve popped on Laharl's forehead but then he decided to play the angel's game. He glared back with confidence and a little bit of arrogance.

_***twitch* *twitch***_

_GLARING CONTEST~ ROUND 3 __**Ding! Ding! Ding!~~**_ X3 The crowd goes wild! Ahaha… anyway…

"Umm, are you guys okay?" Flonne asked sweatdropping.

"Yes, yes. Perfectly fine." Stan said though his glare never wavered.

Flonne looked to Laharl but he was too into the contest, he didn't notice. Flonne only sighed. She only watched the two continue to glare at each other.

"If you say so…"

**Round 1,112** (4 hours later) ; -.-

Nighttime in the Netherworld was due. The orchestra has died down their playing and the lights in the castle had dimmed down as well. And yet the battle was still on! For now, it was an even 556 all. This was getting waaaaaay out of hand. Alex had already put Flonne's lap to good use and used it as a pillow. Not that Flonne minded though but the time was unbearable for her; to endure that level of stupidity for what seemed like years of her life. That is until, _he _finally snapped…

"**AHH! THIS IS ANNOYING THE **_***BEEP**BEEP***_** OUT OF ME**!" Laharl shouted. His eyes were already red and itchy.

"H, Heh, it's my win then…" Stan said victoriously, although his eyes were just as red and itchy as Laharl's.

"Anou, what have you guys been doing?" Flonne asked. For the whole while, she had absolutely no idea what was going on. When she would ask either one of them, their red eyes would turn to her, glaring fiercely. So she thought it'd be best to keep her mouth shut until the right time.

"Huh?" Stan said.

"What are you talking about?" Laharl said.

"Uhh… um, nevermind! It's getting a bit late so I think I'll put Alex down to sleep in Stan's room, soo…" Flonne said, rubbing the back of her head.

"Hmph…"

"Grr…"

"Ah… Anyway, Oyasuminasai, you two…"

Flonne bid the two goodbyes before carrying Alex off. Both of them were left alone in that room full of empty plates and stained silverware. Laharl had his eyes closed; feet rested on the table while his hands on the back of his head. Meanwhile, Stan's eyes were closed as well but he was in a chess-like pose, with his elbows on the table and his chin rested on the back of his hands. The room was silent and the contest no longer went on. After a few minutes of such silence, the blue-haired demon boy got up, rubbing his tummy satisfyingly and started to head out.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Laharl stopped. He turned to the voice that has been annoying him all day.

"What else do you want? Jeez…"

Stan smiled slyly at Laharl as if he did something to cause his defeat. In other words, _checkmate!_

"I think it's rude for the host to leave the table before the gust don't you think?"

Stan flashed him that overly-friendly smile that reeked of secret intent.

"Red Ribbons is your host, not me." Laharl said coolly

"But, didn't you just welcome me into your castle a while ago?" Stan asked.

"W, Well…

"And besides, aren't Flonne's guests your guests as well?"

"U, Ugh…"

"Well then, why don't you sit down and let's have a little talk…"

"…"

"…'kay?"

Laharl stretched his mouth as widely as he could. He let out a yawn then slumped over his chair lazily.

"So? What the hell are we supposed to talk about now?"Laharl asked. Stan had been only sitting there with the same pose observing him.

"Everything."

"Haaah?"

"Tell me… everything."

"Everything? Everything what?"

"Simply everything. The real story, more like it."

Laharl furrowed his brows in confusion. What everything? What was this guy saying? Suspicious, definitely suspicious.

"My, my, am I that suspicious-looking?" Stan said.

"W, Wha? How did you—?"

"Doesn't matter. Now, Overlord, why don't you start talking? I want to know the real details of your heroic doings. No exaggerations whatsoever. The REAL scoop. The true banana. The—"

"I GET IT! AND WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT LAST STATEMENT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?"

"Haha, anyway, won't you enlighten me?" Stan said.

"Tch… and if I refuse?"

Laharl would later regret on saying that. He should've bitten his tongue instead, then he wouldn't have had suffered.

"Huh? Just now, what was—?" Laharl was cut off when Stan suddenly started laughing in a low tone. Laharl glowered at him. Something was definitely up with this guy.

"Losing something?" Stan asked casually.

Laharl raised a brow at him. He checked himself if anything was missing. Antenna-like hair, check; Short shorts, check; Huge red scarf, check; Oversized ego… Heh, as if that would ever go missing. Everything was intact and right in place. Except for…

"You—? When did you?"

"My, my such a pretty pendant of yours, though I must say this isn't the type of jewelry that would suit your taste, now is it?" Stan said examining the pendant hanging on the tip of his slender fingers.

"Tch!"

"Maybe it was given to you by someone… special?"

"So what if it was? Give it back, damn you!" Laharl exclaimed, standing up from where he sat, angrily.

"No."

"What?"

"Don't give me such a look, O great and powerful Overlord. I will keep it safe with me. Of course, I'll give it back in due time…"

Laharl clenched his fists tightly, red eyes flaring furiously.

"Anyway Overlord," Stan said as he enclosed the pendant in his huge hands and then slowly brought it into the folds of his robes, fully knowing that Laharl's eyes were following. Laharl could do nothing but watch helplessly as it disappeared from his sight.

"About that story…"

"Why you little?" Laharl shouted, lunging towards Stan, but before he could do any serious damage,

"It's no use attacking me."

Laharl flinched then stopped when he heard this. He was panting so hard, it felt hard to breathe. He stared blankly at the sword he wielded; surprised it was even in his hands. When did he…?

"If you attack me, and even kill me, you think your sin would be lightly taken? Most especially from Flonne?"

"…!..."

Stan stood up from his seat then walked towards Laharl's frozen figure. He put his hand on Laharl's shoulder and gently pushed it down, along with the sword. He smiled once again.

"We wouldn't want that now would we?"

"… like I care…" Laharl weakly whispered.

"Seat down and we'll talk about this, okay?"

"…"

Stan flashed him that creepy smile again. As to why Laharl was acting this way, even the he didn't even know himself, but somehow he found himself being led back into his seat by Stan's cold fingers. He sank back into his seat, looking down and soulless. Stan, meanwhile, made his way back into his seat. But while his back was on Laharl that overly-friendly smile curved into a smile that would make Etna's smile look cute and not at all deadly. He plopped back down on his seat and sighed. He faced Laharl, his old smile back on.

"Where do we start then?"

End of Chapter 4

**A/N: Okay, I really wanted to be humble about this but… really… this chapter was really…**

…**SUCKISH… right? Ehe…**

**Ohohohohohohoho!**

**Wee! I posted this after my exam so I'm really happy today! Hahaha! Sorry all, for making ya wait. I actually wrote this on paper but alas! The time was not enough for me to finish this looooooooooong chapter in one sitting. So originally wanted to post this like 3 weeks ago but, other factors got in the way, like quizzes, projects blah, blah, blah (*COUGH* LAZINESS *COUGH*) Ahaha, anyhoo, even though this chapter sucked, I hope you guys enjoyed it! I mentioned it in the last chapter so here;**

**Special thanks to the ff; :D**

**firekitsune2z**

**Nightrose1**

**Folkvarthr Lex Oddmund**

**ShadowLights**

**spoiledpuppy**

**trollypop**

**Mares-a-Mares**

**Esp. ****becmaster**** for being the first reviewer and still reviews every chapter**

**BlackMoonTiger**

**DigiOtDesu**

**ElizT**

**iRishou**

**And my good friend ****ichigo-aya**

**Thanks guys! Also to the ones who put me on alert. Arigatou…**

**I'm currently aiming for at least 25 reviews! :3 so why not press that little button there? You know that green one that says 'review this chapter'? XD Iyah, Iyah! Feel free to do what ya want! I won't force you! Till the next minna-san! **

**:3 HEHE…**


	5. Daydreaming

**A/N:** HELLO EVERYBOH-DAY! The long wait is OH-VUR! (…as if) After so many agonizing months, I can finally, f-i-n-a-l-l-y update this story o' mine! Why? Because it's SUMMMEEEERRR~! And my dad has a laptop I can borrow. That means no more back aches, no more suffering and no more unsaved files! I can just focus on typing the story! BOOYAKA! I'm so very sorry for the late update… School's been a biatch so, haven't got much time to focus on any of my stories… You probably want to listen to my ramblings some more (not) buuut, I'll continue this LATER. asdfghjkl

Anyway, enjoy~!

*Note: Laharl's… a _little _OOC here, and so is Flonne. But don't mind that. He's a tsundere chara anyway. But as for Flonne… Yeaaah… :D

This chapter is more on the fluff side but still, enjoy~! xD

_Warning: Cheesiness may cause readers to barf. Please proceed with caution (0_0)_

CHAPTER V: Daydreaming

It was a good one hour away from sunrise when a certain blonde by the name of Flonne woke up, courtesy of her alarm clock. Switching the contraption off rather harshly, the ex-angel groggily got up from her warm, comfy bed and stepped into the cold air authentic Netherworld mornings offered. Flonne made her way to her closet with her eyes half-lidded and quickly changed from her pajamas to her everyday attire, ribbons and all. She did it as fast as she could because she did not want the exposure of the chilly weather to her bare skin cause her to catch a—

_Ha-a-atchoo!_

...too late.

With a bit of snot dripping down her nose, the bubbly demon took her robe and wore it, wrapping it around her petite body. She was feeling especially cold that morning. She then exited the premises of her room and headed for the castle's kitchen. And why, might you ask, was she heading towards Laharl's favorite room of the castle? No, it wasn't for her usual _fat-inducing pig out sessions_ but rather,

"_MIDNIGHT SNACKS_!" Flonne viciously whispered to no one in particular…

Anyway…

But rather, it was for her childhood friend, Stan, and his sister, Alexandra. Before Stan even came to this dimension, he had already contacted Flonne about a special _favor._ This special favor needed a lot of energy. It was time-consuming. It was her responsibility and hers ONLY. The favor?

Whip up a picnic basket.

This picnic basket was mainly for a party of three, mainly; himself, Alex and Flonne. Flonne however decided to make food fit for several people just in case unwanted members decide join in. Hopefully this time Mid-Boss won't be able to lay a single hair on it. Unfortunately, Jennifer was too busy spending 'quality time' with her _Gordy_ (if you get what I mean) to help Flonne with preparing but it was fine for good-hearted Flonne. She understood. Besides, she's on vacation so why pester her with petty chores? She's not Gordon.

So, there she was… cooking by herself… alone. A few helpful Prinnies were lending her a hand here and there. The capacity of Etna's Prinnies to withstand sleep surpasses that of an overlord. Probably because Etna said she'd, "_skewer them with her sharpest spear and then roast them over the Sea of Gehanna", _if she ever caught one of them sleeping in on their jobs.

It was then that Flonne stretched her mouth wide and let out a tired yawn. She rubbed her sleepy eyes trying to wake herself up. She groaned. Last night, she didn't get that much sleep, particularly because two people were keeping her up. Or rather two voices…

_FLASHBACK! xD_

_After finally getting Alex to sleep (she was just a BIG bundle of energy once they got to the room), Flonne made her way into her room, changed into her jammies and plopped down on her bed. Since she was supposed to wake up early tomorrow for a _special task_, she desperately tried to get some shut-eye. Pulling her pillow over head, Flonne tried to block out any noise she heard and forced herself to enter dreamland but before she could enter its gates, she was pulled out by two distinct voices._

_At first, Flonne tried ignoring it but she realized that the voices sounded familiar. Out of pure curiosity and thirst for some fresh gossip, Flonne tried listening to the voices. By the way they spoke, it seemed like this conversation was sworn to secrecy. Also, judging by how far their voices sounded, they sounded like they came from the Dining Hall._

'Who could be awake at this hour?'_ Flonne thought._

_Still in her bed, Flonne moved closer to what she determined to be closer to the voices. She tried identifying them._

'Hmm, this first voice… I've definitely heard this voice before…'

_This first voice sounded louder than the other. The tone was rude, obnoxious and… and…_

_Pre-pubescent._

'Definitely Laharl…'_ Flonne thought. She smiled at how she was able to distinguish his voice. But then she noticed something strange. While she did not doubt that this was indeed Laharl's voice, she found it a bit sullen for Laharl. Sullenness was not a trait Laharl showed openly. Flonne, slowly losing consciousness, grew a more curious of the other voice. _

_What or who could have made the Overlord of the Netherworld feel so bummed?_

_She focused on the other voice. This time this voice was the exact opposite of Laharl's; deep but soft-spoken, well-mannered in tone and gentlemanly. Flonne didn't know any demon who was well-mannered or gentlemanly. So she supposed that it must be…_

'Stan-kun?'_ Flonne wondered. _

_At this point she was confuzzled. What business did those two have? They only met a few hours ago… Flonne cringed. Something didn't feel right about any of this. Worry tugged at her heart, fearing some sort foreboding of some sort. But sleep dawned upon her and all that fear and foreboding just dissipated from her mind. _

_But just before Flonne drifted off, another thing irked her. Yes, she thought, just like Laharl's, that this was definitely Stan's voice. It was soft, polite and in all aspects, gentlemanly. But there was something else…_

_It was menacing._

_~End of Flashback~_

Flonne let out another small yawn as finally the sun shone some of its rays into the room. Even though she was wide awake now, she still felt cold and tired. Flonne wondered if she really had caught a cold earlier. Anyway, she just shrugged off the feeling.

'_Still, I wonder what those two were talking about…'_ Flonne thought as she chopped carrots.

Since Flonne is, and always will be the simplistic idiot she is, she completely forgot about last night's details. By details I mean Laharl acting weird and Stan acting weirder. All that was registered in her mind was that the two of them stayed up all night chatting with each other. Like good pals.

How wrong was she!

Instead, she giggled innocently. She at first thought that those two were acting a bit hostile to one another. It didn't take a genius to figure that out. She smiled because in the end, they weren't so bad to one another after all.

'_They must really like each other!'_ Flonne concluded.

… cue forehead slap.

And so the morning thus rolled on with Flonne's fantasies running through her mind as she prepared the rest of the picnic basket's contents. Most of her fantasies were of Laharl, finally accepting love into his heart fully starting with this beautiful, manly friendship with Stan. She imagines the two of them acting like the best of friends, getting into friendly clashes, competing in manly contests or… uhh, sharing manly puns?

And maybe even… competing for her hand in marriage…?

Flonne mentally slapped herself. What was she thinking? Her hand in marriage? _Puh-lease! _As if… That would never ever happen!

…

'_But… it __would__ be interesting if that happened. Not that I want it to happen or anything… just… nah! I couldn't! I can't! They're friends! I just can't rip their friendship apart…I can't! Absolutely not!_

_Nuh-uh…'_

A few minutes later…

***clears throat***

After having won their last tickle fight, Space Detective Flonne was currently running away from the Prince Laharl's vengeful fingers. The Prince chased Flonne onto a bright field of floral ornaments. Meanwhile, Duke Stan was right behind with his army of demons, demanding Laharl to give back his fiancé to him. The lovey-dovey couple ignored him as they continued to scurry about the field…

"Come back here, you!" Laharl said all giggly.

"Gotta catch me first~!" Flonne replied just as giggly.

Of course it wasn't long until clumsy Flonne tripped on a pebble, falling to the ground. Laharl soon followed after, tripping over her.

_When my eyes fluttered open, I immediately saw Laharl's intense gaze over mine. I could feel my face heat up as the blood rushed to my face. _

"_Laharl…" I say._

"_Flonne…" he says._

_I felt his calloused fingers brush my lips. We both blushed at the sensation._** (A/N: *barfs*)**

_Laharl's face inched his face closer to mine. Closer… closer… closer and…!_

"MOTHERF-!"

Flonne bit her tongue before she could finish that statement. She didn't want the whole castle to hear her curse. She wouldn't hear the end of it. She dropped the knife she was previously using; traces of her blood stained its sharp edges. She covered her mouth with her other hand to prevent her from screaming bloody murder and waking up the rest of the castle's residents.

A shallow yet long gash ran across her palm. Shallow but painful. It stung and blood was gushing out slowly. At the sight of so much fluid flowing out of her, Flonne became a bit nauseous and stumbled backwards causing some pots to clash with one another.

"Oi…"

"Eh…"

Flonne turned around to an all-too-familiar voice. She immediately turned red at his presence.

"L-Laharl!"

Laharl _was_ there, leaning heavily against the entrance to the kitchen. He looked about as tired as hell but he still looked as if he could destroy an entire dimension. But the way he leaned on the wall wasn't so he'd look like a bad-ass. It was because it was the only thing keeping him upright.

For a while Flonne forgot about her wound and asked Laharl,

"L-Laharl? A-A-Are you okay?"

Laharl didn't speak immediately. He just stood there looking at Flonne. He grumbled in response.

"I-I see…" Flonne said. She was completely frozen and red all over in embarrassment, considering her previous thoughts on Laharl.

'_What should I do? How embarrassing!' _Flonne thought, not even realizing that with every passing moment, she was slowly losing blood.

Laharl raised a brow, finding this particular behavior to be weird. Flonne couldn't directly look him in the eye. Whenever their eyes made contact, hers would go flying another direction. Flonne wasn't like that. Laharl knew her as a headstrong girl… She doesn't look the other direction, especially not from him. Laharl tried to find any unFlonne-like behavior. He noticed the robe she wore.

"Why the robe?" he asked, sounding uninterested.

"E-Eh? O-Oh, I just, uhh, felt like wearing it… Ahaha…" Flonne said, but she was looking at her feet and still not at him.

Laharl didn't exactly buy that excuse either. But he found other things disturbing about Flonne that morning, particularly, _her hand. _His mouth slightly went agape.

"_What the f*** happened to your hand?"_ is what Laharl wanted to say but instead, he made his way quietly over to Flonne.

"Umm, that is, is there anything—" Flonne was cut-off.

"Shut up and give me your hand." Laharl said sharply.

Flonne was startled, wondering why Laharl needed her hand. Then she remembered her hand. She stood there blankly staring at Laharl. Laharl sighed in annoyance. He snatched Flonne's hand by force and placed it on top of his. Flonne gave out a small cry of pain but at the same time, her heart soared.

Laharl examined her wound, shifting the hand from left to right. Flonne on the other hand still avoided eye-contact. After he was done examining it, Laharl sighed. He closed his eyes and placed his other hand on top of Flonne's, earning a sharp gasp from Flonne. Flonne wanted to ask what Laharl was planning but their hands started glowing a warm green light. She felt her cut tingling. She also felt refresfed herself. When the light dispersed, Laharl's hand slid off of Flonne's. (secretly, much to her dismay) Flonne's wound was completely closed up.

"Waah…" Flonne said in amazement. She has got to admit that for someone like Laharl whose skills are only meant for offense is using something like _Heal _is pretty impressive.

Flonne wiped the blood off her hand using a washcloth; she could see her cut completely closed up.

"Wow Laharl! I didn't know you could use Heal!"

Laharl shot her an annoyed look but it was easily replaced by a smug expression. He crossed his arms and spread his legs, doing his signature pose.

"Hah! I'd be a disgrace of an overlord if I can't do something as simple as Heal!" Laharl said with his nose held high.

Flonne chuckled and agreed with him. Laharl continued basking in all his glory when Flonne cringed at the sudden pain coming from her wound.

"Ah, it still stings a bit." Flonne said.

Laharl turned to Flonne, his smug expression was wiped off his face. He narrowed his eyes and 'tch-ed'. Flonne anticipated the worst when Laharl wordlessly came up to her, AGAIN, while holding up his scarf. He suddenly bit the scarf and using his teeth, tore a long piece of it.

"L-Laharl?" Flonne said completely confused.

"Hand. Now." he ordered.

Flonne looked from the scarf to her hand to Laharl. Understanding what Laharl planned to do, Flonne's eyes widened and she immediately shook her head.

"I-It's fine Laharl! You don't need to—" but Flonne was cut again when Laharl took her hand, this time gently, and started bandaging the cut.

"B-B-But Laharl! Your scarf…" Flonne said .Guilt was eminent from her voice.

"Stop your stuttering woman and let me work in peace, dammit!" Laharl snapped as he tried to make a neat bandage.

"_But - ! But - ! BUT - !"_

Laharl shot her that _'I'm-only-doing-this-one-so-shut-your-piehole'_ glare to completely shut Flonne up. Laharl was obviously no genius in treating wounded patients. He inexpertly bandaged the wound to the best of his ability. Flonne had to admit that this was cute of Laharl… She held back a chuckle.

"THERE!" Laharl said when he was done.

"Uhh, Thanks…?" Flonne said looking at the poorly made bandage. She made a mental note of redoing it when Laharl's asleep.

Laharl cheeks turned pink.

"Don't, EVER, mention it. Especially not to _you-know-who…"_ Laharl said in a threatening voice but Flonne just happily nodded. Laharl was also happy to note that Flonne was looking him in the eye now.

"Hmph… Good." Laharl said.

"Um, Laharl…?"

"What?" Laharl said.

"Can you let go now?" Flonne sheepishly said.

Laharl deadpanned at first. He was '_Like whuut?' _then he realized that he was still holding her hand. Blood rushed to Laharl's face as his eyes widened. He threw his hands up in the air and yelled,

"I-IDIOT!"

Flonne blankly stared at him.

"A-Ah… uh…"

Flonne blinked twice. Laharl's eye twitched. He then sharply turned the other way and left without saying a word. And Flonne was like _'Wtf?'_

But then Laharl popped his head back into the room, startling Flonne.

"O-Oi, L-Love freak!"

Flonne looked at Laharl who was ironically not looking her in the eye. Who's acting weird now?

"Whatever you're c-cooking…"

"…"

"… make sure it's delicious!"

With that, Laharl's head disappeared leaving Flonne dumbfounded. She found herself involuntarily smiling. But she slapped herself.

'_W-Why am I smiling?'_ Flonne thought.

She shook her head but the smile still found its way to her lips. The goofy smile just kept coming back. Her heart felt like bursting too.

'_WHAT'S HAPPENING?'_

Unknown to the both of them a pair of crimson eyes was watching just beyond the cupboard, enjoying every moment. Lips curved into an amused smirk, apparently finding this situation entertaining. Those very eyes watched Flonne panic about the kitchen earning sweatdrops from passing Prinnies. Barely contained laughter escaped the lips…

'_Poor Flonne…'_

End of Chapter 5~

**A/N: **Told ya they were OOC! Lool… anyway, on with my ramblings. The OOC-ness has an excuse. I haven't played in MONTHS! I sacrificed my DS for good grades… *sniif* and now, my game pak is missing… WAAHHH! X((

Anyway, thanks y'all for reading! And please do leave a review for me. I know it sucked. Just tell it to me straight, okay? JUST JOKING. But I know it sucks… AGAIN, , THANK **YOU! **…for reading and putting up with my laziness… I mean, misfortunes… :D oh and I'll update soon. :DD

Oh and before the traditional farewell, I'd just like to say, ARE YOU GUYS NUTS? I ask you for at least like 25 reviews and you give me, what, 32? JEEZ!

I LOVE YOU ALL! xD

'til the next! :3

_(*pssst* _**leave a review** _*pssst*)_


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